Projects Protecting NYC from Inland Flooding and Rising Sea Levels Slowly Move Forward

Although the significant damage to Lower Manhattan caused by Hurricane Sandy in 2012 may just be a distant memory to some, work on several citywide resiliency projects in different phases of planning and construction are very much an active part of the city’s agenda.  However, progress has been slow amid hurdles such as funding and determining what can be built and how to best design projects, so they enhance communities for future generations while not cutting them off from the city’s coastlines. By 2050, the sea level is expected to rise another 16 inches and New Yorkers will see 57 days of 90-plus-degree heat compared to 33 now. An investment in the neighborhood of $15 billion, much of it in Federal money, has already been allocated according to New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Rohit Aggarwala. Some larger projects, such as the Army Corp of Engineers Harbor and Tributary Study (HATS) at a currently estimated cost of $52 billion to protect low-lying communities from Red Hook to Harlem by adding sea walls along New York Harbor; and a reengineering of the city’s antiquated sewer system at a “best estimate” by the DEP of $33 billion are still years away from reality, but several other projects are already underway with completion dates ranging from 2025 to 2050.

  1. ‘Dayletting’ Tibbets Brook, Bronx – an $11 million deal with CSX Transportation has opened the door to bringing the brook above ground and creating a new rail-to-trail park along the brook’s banks. By removing the brook’s flow from the sewer system, combined sewer overflows will be reduced by 228 million gallons annually and improve the health of the Harlem River.
  2. Cloudburst Initiative – implementing strategies to mitigate inland funding such as the recently started construction on a sunken basketball court that will double as a stormwater container at the New York City Housing Authority’s (NYCHA) South Jamaica Houses. It will be the first of others planned for NYCHA properties.
  3. East Side Coastal Resiliency Project – stretching 2.4 miles from East 25th Street to Montgomery Street on the Lower East Side, it is one of the furthest projects along, having already elevated Stuyvesant Cove Park by 8-feet. Upon full construction completion in the fall of 2026 of the $1.45 billion project, the entire East River Park will be elevated and revitalized with “massive seawalls tucked beneath the FDR drive that have gates that will be closed to keep a storm surge at bay as well as shielding critical Infrastructure like the Con Edison Plant that incurred significant damage during Hurricane Sandy leaving half of Manhattan without power.
  4. Lower Manhattan South and West Shoreline – the $7 billion project already underway will create flood barriers for a more resilient stormwater infrastructure along the shoreline from the Brooklyn Bridge to Battery Park City. Once approvals and funding are in place, another piece of the project that is expected to break ground by 2029 will raise and extend the shoreline of the Financial District and South Street Seaport. A $1.7 billion commitment toward funding the multi-pronged project has already been committed by the city, state, and federal government.
  5. Staten Island – the construction of a 5.3-mile seawall from Fort Wadsworth to Oakwood Beach will reach up to 20-feet and is estimated to cost $2.3 billion. The first awarded contract for $133 million is expected to be completed in three years, while other parts of the project are still in the design phase.
  6. Rockaways, Queens – the $600 million project expected to be completed in 2025 has built up the beach, adding stone groins (structures that slow down natural beach erosion) and restored dunes.
  7. Red Hook Coastal Resiliency Project, Brooklyn – The city recently announced plans to award a $27 million contract to Liro Engineers, who will partner with the city’s Department of Design and Construction to construct several flood barriers and gates along the Red Hook coastline. The 3-year project expected to break ground in 2025 is the first step of a broader $100 million coastal protection project.

Source:    https://www.crainsnewyork.com/climate/new-york-city-projects-prioritize-storm-flooding-protection